In This Season

There are decisions I've made in the past that I would make differently today. Conversations I'd approach differently. Times I would have asked for help sooner. Moments when I would have rested instead of pushing through. Boundaries I would have put in place. Things I wish I'd understood earlier. And when you're someone who is deeply reflective, it's very easy for reflection to quietly turn into judgement. I should have known. Why didn't I see it? I should have handled that b

I found a little note from my daughter today, and it made me wonder whether I've been measuring this summer by the wrong things. We're about halfway through the summer holidays now. And can I be honest? I'm tired. Like ALL the way tired. Like deep in my bones, could-sleep for a thousand years, Disney princess style tired. There were things I planned to do that haven't happened. Places I thought we'd go. Things I wanted to achieve. And some days I simply don't possess the ener

It's been a while since I've written here. For a long time, I felt like I needed to explain where I'd been. Now I realise... The reason I stepped away is the very reason I'm back. The last couple of years have been some of the hardest of my life. As a single mum to two incredible children, one of whom has additional needs, life became less about thriving and much more about surviving. There were school meetings. Appointments. Phone calls. Advocating. Days where I was running

Caregiving, hyper responsibility, and the journey back to self There have been seasons in my life where I carried so much that I forgot I was allowed to need support too. From the outside, people may see strength. They see the things you manage. The problems you solve. The way you keep going. The people you care for. The responsibilities you somehow hold together. What they do not always see is the weight of it. The invisible list running through your mind. The emotional load

The hidden anxiety beneath overthinking, perfectionism, and trying to hold it all together I am an overthinker. Not occasionally. Properly. I can overthink text messages, emails, booking events, conversations, decisions that other people seem to make in seconds. What looks small on the outside can become a full mental spiral on the inside. Should I send that? Did I word it wrong? What if they take it the wrong way? What if I regret it? What if I choose badly? It takes so much

The inner critic, exhaustion, and learning to turn toward yourself again There have been seasons in my life where self compassion felt almost impossible. Not because I did not believe in it. Not because I did not understand the tools. But because I was tired in a way that reached far beyond sleep. For the last 15 months, my son has not been in full time education. But the journey did not begin there. We have been navigating exclusions, challenges, and advocacy for seven years

The hidden cost of measuring your worth through productivity and being needed There was a time in my life when being the one others came to felt natural. As a teacher, I was often the person people approached for support, guidance, or reassurance. I genuinely loved helping. It felt meaningful. It felt like who I was. And the truth is, supporting others can be beautiful. But it can also be depleting, especially when you do not know how to receive support yourself. It is import

There is a type of burnout that lives in the mind. It does not always show up as physical exhaustion first. It can feel like constant thinking. Replaying conversations. Revisiting decisions. Trying to work things out from every angle. From the outside, it can look like thoughtfulness. But internally, it can feel like overwhelm. When Thinking Becomes Constant You might recognise this. Going over something again and again. Trying to make the right decision. Wanting to avoid get

There is a type of burnout that does not always come from pressure or expectation. It comes from giving. Giving your time. Giving your energy. Giving your attention. Again and again. From the outside, it can look like generosity. But internally, it can begin to feel like depletion. When Giving Feels Natural You might recognise this. Being the one who shows up. The one who supports others. The one who notices what people need. Caring can feel natural. It can feel like part of

There is a type of burnout that is often hidden behind high standards. It can look like care. Attention to detail. Wanting to do things well. From the outside, it can be seen as dedication. But internally, it can feel very different. There can be a quiet pressure to get things right. All the time. When Doing Well Doesn’t Feel Like Enough You might recognise this. Putting effort into what you do. Wanting to do things properly. Holding yourself to a high standard. There is noth

There is a type of burnout that can be difficult to recognise. It does not always come from workload. It often comes from giving. Giving time. Giving energy. Giving attention. Again and again. From the outside, it can look like kindness. But internally, it can feel like exhaustion. When Being There for Others Becomes a Pattern You might recognise this. Being the one people turn to. The one who says yes. The one who makes things easier for everyone else. It can feel natural

For several years, I was someone who'd choose a word of the year . It started during a time when I really needed something to hold onto. At the beginning of my burnout journey several years ago, a dear friend introduced me to the idea. It was something she had come across from Melinda Gates. The words replaced New Year Resolutions. And as we were both in a season of healing and self improvement, the words became intentions to guide mindset and encourage action. They helped us

There is a type of burnout that often goes unnoticed. Not because it is not there, but because it is hidden beneath achievement. From the outside, everything can look as though it is working. Tasks are completed. Deadlines are met. Responsibilities are handled. But internally, something feels different. There can be a quiet exhaustion that does not always have space to be acknowledged. When Achievement Becomes Identity You might recognise this pattern. Being the one who gets

"Just ask for help." Simple, right? Something we should just be able to do. But for many of us, particularly those who are used to being dependable, capable, and strong, asking for help can feel anything but simple. It can feel uncomfortable. Unfamiliar. Even unsafe. Because beneath the surface, asking for support is not just about needing help. It is often about identity. The Identity of Being “The Strong One” Can you related to this? You've grown up being the one others rel

If you’ve been feeling “off” lately but can’t quite explain why, you’re not alone. Burnout doesn’t always arrive loudly. It doesn’t always look like stopping completely or breaking down in obvious ways. More often, it looks like continuing. Still showing up. Still doing what needs to be done. Still being the person others rely on. But something within you feels different. A little heavier than usual. A little more tired. A little less present. A little more stretched than you

Why Does Rest Feels So Difficult for High Achieving Women? There is a moment many women recognise. You finally sit down. The to do list is temporarily quiet. Your body is tired. But instead of feeling relaxed, something else appears. A restless feeling. A quiet voice saying you should probably be doing something. Answering emails. Cleaning something. Planning tomorrow. For many high achieving women, rest can feel strangely uncomfortable. Not because we do not need it. But bec

If you’ve found your way here, welcome. Most people don’t arrive in spaces like this by accident. Perhaps you’ve been feeling exhausted in a way that rest alone doesn’t fix. Perhaps you’ve been carrying responsibilities for so long that slowing down feels unfamiliar. Or perhaps something inside you has simply started whispering: This pace isn’t sustainable anymore. I know that feeling well. For many years I lived in some version of survival mode. From the outside I appeared c

Three women in a caring embrace International Women’s Day often arrives with bold messages about progress, empowerment, and change. And those things matter. But this year’s theme, “Give to Gain,” invited me to pause and reflect on something quieter. The power of women supporting women. Not in dramatic or performative ways. But in the small, steady ways that help us keep going when life feels heavy. For many women, strength has long been the expectation. Be dependable. Be capa

There’s something about Spring that always reaches me before I realise I need it. The light lingers a little longer. The air softens. The trees begin again without asking permission. And this year, I needed that reminder more than ever. It has been a trying season of my life. Not loud. Not dramatic. But heavy. The kind of season where you are navigating factors you cannot fully control. Where responsibility doesn’t pause just because you are tired. Where you hold steady becau

January doesn’t arrive quietly. It arrives loud, expectant, full of promises. Fresh notebooks. New planners. Bold declarations about who we’ll be by December. And yet, beneath the noise, there’s often a quieter truth stirring, a sense that we don’t actually need to do more…we need to listen more. For me, the beginning of the year isn’t a starting gun. It’s a threshold. A pause. An invitation to reflect before we move. We’ve been taught that January is for action. Set